Stars: Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Dina Meyer, Monica Potter, Shawnee Smith, Leigh Whannell

Director: James Wan

Summary: Be prepared to be scared. James Wan's directorial debut, written by and starring Leigh Whannell, is a violent, bloody, psychologically exhausting and exhilarating exercise in terror. Adam (Whannell) and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) are chained in a vile, disgusting bathroom, separated by a bloody corpse holding a gun and a tape recorder. They are each given a saw--the only obvious way out is to cut one of their feet off. A serial killer who specialises in torturing morally bereft strangers is playing a game with them: Gordon has less than eight hours to kill Adam or else the doctor's wife (Monica Potter) and daughter (Mackenzie Vega) will be murdered. As the two men engage in a battle of wits, alternately trying to help each other or secretly attempting to win the game, a series of flashbacks reveals the history of the madman and the pair of detectives (Danny Glover and Ken Leung) handling the case. Some of the torture scenes are excruciatingly horrible and hard to watch, a real treat for fans of the genre. Inspired by the work of David Lynch (BLUE VELVET, TWIN PEAKS) and Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA, INFERNO), Wan has created a scintillating suspense thriller that will have audiences continually shocked, repelled, frightened, and surprised, right up to the very last second (which Whannell has said was influenced by the endings of such films as THE USUAL SUSPECTS and THE SIXTH SENSE). The accompanying heavy metal soundtrack is appropriately scary as well.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on May 7, 2006 10:01 AM

This is how horror pictures should be made ! This cult icon from director James Wan is the defitive uncut ( haha ) , version running
approximately 100 minutes , wow ! The Jigsaw Killer ( Tobin Bell ) ,
is a maniac who uses elaborate traps to test his victims dedication to life . Plenty of twists and red - herrings make this frightfest a must watch ( if you have the bottle ! ) . Starring Danny Glover as an equally
insane cop who was once one of the Jigsaw's victim , Cary Elwes and Monica Potter , this is a must see shockerooney of a film that will have you biting your nails .

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Given the haste in which this sequel followed the original, hopes may not have been particularly high for Saw 2. Yet the film itself proves to be a welcome surprise. For while it has moments where it needlessly attempts to out-gore the original, and while it's not as clever, there's plenty here to lift it above the status of lazy cash-in.

The premise, once again, contrives to put a series of apparent strangers into one location, surrounded by various traps and clues to get out. That location, a dilapidated house in this instance, is locked up, and slowly filling with nerve gas. In short, thanks to the work of deadly serial killer Jigsaw, the collection of people inside have two hours to live. This time though, their plight is being watched remotely via a video link by police officers, specifically Detective Eric Matthews, who quickly discovers his son is one of those caught in Jigsaw's deadly trap.

With a tempered running time that allows little time for waste, where Saw 2scores is in simply getting on with the job. It's a slightly bumpier ride than first time round, but again, it's hard not to get drawn into the fun.

One notable word of warning though: Sawliked its gore, and so does this sequel. No doubt the imminent third entry in the series will be fond of it too. Still, if you're wary of the need for a strong stomach, there's a lot to enjoy in this surprisingly strong second instalment.--Simon Brew

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors And Writers Commentary, Music Video By Fear Factory Bite The Hand That Bleeds, Making Of The Music Video
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2004
Release Date:	February 21, 2005
Runtime:	99 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9280
Label:	Lion's Gate Films
Keywords:	General, Saw, Wide, Screen, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller